Statement of Faith

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God
We believe that there is one true, sovereign, holy God, who is the author of creation. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and unchanging. (Deut. 6:4) He eternally exists in three persons -- Father (Isaiah 26:4), Son (John 10:30), and Holy Spirit (Heb. 9:14) -- each possessing equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality. God continues to sustain His creation and is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.

Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the eternal second Person of the Trinity, who was united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth (John 1:1-3). He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone (Phil. 2:9). He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died (1 Cor. 15:20). He ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He, the only Mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own (Eph. 1:20). He shall come again to earth, personally and visibly, to rightfully reclaim it for God the Father, to consummate history and complete the eternal plan of God (Acts 1:11).

The Holy Spirit
The confirmation of a genuine saving faith in Jesus Christ is a life ever-increasingly characterized by holiness and obedience to God. This is accomplished as the believer submits to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity (Rom. 8:9). He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them a recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them. He indwells all true believers at the point of salvation, becoming their source of assurance, strength and wisdom and uniquely endowing them with gifts for the edification of the body of believers. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scriptures. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father (Gal. 5:22-23).

Human Condition 
Man was created in the image of God to fellowship with Him and give Him glory (Gen. 1:27). Adam and Eve, the first humans, chose to go their own independent way. As a result, the fellowship was broken, the image distorted, and the sin nature passed on to all their progeny (Rom. 5:12). All humans, in their unregenerate state, are utterly sinful and unable to please God (Rom. 3:23).
 
Redemption The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture is to call all people back into fellowship with Himself (1 Tim. 2:4). This can only be accomplished through a sovereign act of His free grace and cannot be accomplished, in whole or in part, through human works or goodness (Eph. 2:5). Redemption for the individual is appropriated through personal repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, crucified to ultimately pay the penalty for sin, and resurrected from the dead (Rom. 10:9).

Scripture 
The Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament, gives the true and trustworthy Word of God to humanity, written in the words and literary style of individuals (2 Tim. 3:16). It says everything God intended to say as He inspired men to write it, and He has provided ample evidence of its complete reliability -- historical, scientific, and spiritual. We hold that the Scriptures are inerrant in the original manuscripts, and therefore are the supreme and final authority in matters of faith and conduct. The scriptures are to be taken literally unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The Church
The corollary of union with Jesus Christ is that all believers become members of His body, the church. There is one true church universal, comprised of all who truthfully acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Scripture commands the church to be the vehicle through which the gospel is spread to the world (Mt. 28:19-20). Believers are commanded to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, fellowship, and service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts. The church is also commanded to observe the baptism of new believers, and the observance of communion in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection (1 Cor. 11:23-26). Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is a local expression of the church. Under the watchful care of elders and other supportive leadership, its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.

The Second Coming
The events of Christ’s first coming, including His miraculous birth, sinless life, His death, and resurrection were prophesied in scripture and fulfilled literally. The events leading up to and accompanying His second coming, including the rise of the anti-christ (2 Thes. 2:3-4), the persecution of the redeemed by Satan (Rev. 12:17), the rapture of the church (Mt. 24:31; 1 Thes. 4:16-18) the pouring out of God’s wrath upon the wicked (Rev. 6:17), the salvation of national Israel (Rom. 11:26), and the inauguration of Christ’s thousand-year millennial reign upon the earth (Rev. 20:6), are likewise attested to by Scripture. Believers are commanded to understand, wait, watch for, and live in the light of this blessed event.

Human Destiny
Death seals the eternal destiny of each person (Heb. 9:27). For all mankind, there will be a resurrection of the body into the spiritual world, and a judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. Unbelievers, having chosen to be separate from God in their lifetimes, will be separated from God for eternity. Believers, saved through faith in Jesus Christ, will be received into eternal communion with God, and will be rewarded for works done in their lifetime.

Faith and Practice
Scripture is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice (2 Tim. 3:16). This church recognizes that it cannot bind the conscience of individual members in areas where Scripture is silent. Rather, each believer is to be led in those areas by the Lord, to whom he or she is ultimately responsible.